One of the most popular street food dishes in Thailand, Larb Moo is a delicious warm and spicy pork salad that packs a real punch in both heat and flavour. The balance of salt, sweet, spicy & sour is achieved through fish sauce, sugar, prik bon (Thai chilli powder) and lime juice, accompanied by an underlying smoky depth of flavour provided by toasted glutinous rice. As well as being delicious, it takes just a few minutes to prepare and only a few minutes more to cook!
A spicy, smoky, salty, sweet and sour street food salad, perfect served with papaya or mango salad and steamed jasmine or sticky rice.
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 small shallot or red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 spring onions, finely sliced
- 5-6 mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons prik bon (Thai chilli powder) or dried chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 300 grams pork mince
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon Thai glutinous (sticky) rice, toasted & ground see notes
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In a small bowl, add light soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar and lime juice. Mix briefly and set aside.
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In another small bowl, add thinly sliced shallots or red onion, sliced spring onion, chopped mint, chopped coriander and prik bon or dried chilli flakes. Mix briefly and set aside.
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Heat a wok over a medium-high heat. When the wok is hot, add the vegetable oil. Add the pork mince to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the pork is browned. Add the water, mix well and cook the pork for another 5-6 minutes until the water is reduced and the pork begins to fry and colour in the wok.
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Reduce the heat to low. Add the prepared sauce, vegetables and herbs and mix thoroughly. Top with most of the ground toasted rice and mix once more.
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Arrange the cooked larb moo on a serving plate and garnish with the remaining toasted rice and some lime wedges. Serve with papaya or mango salad, steamed jasmine rice or sticky rice.
To make toasted rice, heat a dry wok or frying pan over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of Thai glutinous (sticky) rice and stir-fry for around 10 minutes until the rice darkens and the smell of toasted popcorn fills the air. Empty the toasted rice into a bowl, allow to cool and then grind into a coarse powder using a blender or a pestle & mortar. Leftover toasted rice will keep well in a sealed container for 3-4 days.
If you like this recipe, you might be interested in buying my book: The Street Food Secret is packed full of over 160 street-food recipes from around the world and is available to buy in paperback or kindle form here.
